I'm going to be adding a page featuring the top 20 most inspirational example projects (10 cabinets, 10 stand alone desktop arcade controls). I'm asking for your help in selecting the top 20 projects. The first step will be a nomination process - anyone can nominate up to 3 projects, listed in order of most inspirational. After a nomination period, then voting will occur.

A project may be inspiration because of artwork, design features, "first of breed", completeness of web site, etc...

The only criteria that must be met is that the author of the project must be reachable via email. If you know this ahead of time that's great, but don't worry about it if you don't. I'll be attempting to contact them. If I cannot reach them they will not make it to the voting. Those whose projects are voted on and whom agree to allow it will have their projects mirrored on the BYOAC web site for posterity.

That was the one that inspired me to build my first upright, not to mention all the info about how to wire the encoder. (I started with a Hagstrom KE24 and god bless him for the details on the matrix).

2.MAMESTATION THE GAME IS NOT OVER ! Well,I honestly didn't like his first cabinet that much except the cool artworks.It was generic lusid style but gotta give him some credit for the artworks.I designed one of my sideart after his(almost same). Mamestation 2 looks better(ua2 style) and his site looks great.The flash intro for mamestation 2 is great too.Very nice all around

Kevin's defender replica (site now gone) and Bilder's DigDug were the ones who inspired me into this hobby more than 5 years ago. However the Roswell (removable panels) and 1up (rotary panels) are the most technically revolutionalry examples. Although credit is due to Xiaou for first exploring the concept of rotary panels way before 1up.

I've got to nominate (in order)1. 1up2. Ultimate Arcade II (No mater how "commercial", MANY MANY MANY cabinets have been built off this design.. I'd nominate mamestation here, but this isn't an artwork category, and the UAII was the inspiration, or basis of this project).3. Roswell --- Noone really remembers this.. but this was one of the first project i remember with swappable control panels, and with just amazing design.. The diamond steel kickplate, the moon artwork.... Truly inspirational.

Wish I could have finished it earlier... but months of unemployment, teaching kungfu privately, and current marble madness remake project have halted any building/re-building latly : ( Someday tho... it will arise a new beast : )

2. Brian Coney's Panel - http://www.geocities.com/brian_coney/index.html (Remember when black marble contact paper was all the rage. I still have a roll of it, although I changed my mind about using it. This was the compromise between "Be nice to make something like Joey's" and "Hey, I can almost do this and it looks great!"

3. Robotron 2010 - Can't find the website anymore. He had some great custom overlays on it. Mckehsonny or sth like that. I think he did some logo's for Mameworld also, maybe KC has his E-mail?

Most of the inspiration for the shape of my cab came from the original Defender, Centipede, and T2 cabs, but I definitely took inspiration from Xiaou2's rotating design. I actually was sketching plans for a 3-panel rotating setup weeks before discovering his site, but his design helped me think about things like locking mechanisms and internal space for controls. His cab was the only forerunner I could look to for hints, since it was the only rotating design at the time. I credit him all the time and even have a link on my webpage to his site!

We even call some cabs a "Lscid" cab at this point, so I would consider it a travesty if it wasn't #1.

1ups would have to get in there somewhere. There have arguably been "better" rotating panels since then, but his was the first one to be properly intergrated into the cab and still look somewhat stock from the outside. Quite brilliant in my book.

Also salty's modular panels and ect have been ripped off a lot(plus, unlike other psuedo-modular rigs, they don't look brutally awful) so that'd have to be my #3.

On an unrelated note: Is 20 really the best number? Mind you there are a ton of nice cabs out there, but when we are looking for inspirational after about the top 5 or so the quality drops off tremendously. It's kind of like a classes grade sheet with 5 A+'s, a ton of B-'s and the rest D's or below.

1) Rick's MAME Project II - http://home.neo.rr.com/martinko/mame.htmThis was the first MAME cab I saw, so naturally, I studied it like mad, the gears of my mind turning with every word and image I even ended up using the same cabinet (TMNT)! I roughly followed his cp layout, and he sold me on the IPAC! So, Rick was a wonderful inspiration and guide, from dream to reality.

2) 1up - http://www.1uparcade.com/arcade-const-plans.htmlI love his rotating panel, and even though I decided not to go that way, his cab was a great inspiration of creativity and ingenuity. I used an e-stik because of him. The website is top notch and informative for newbies and veteran builders alike. THE most invovative in mamecab technologies in my opinion.

4) Supercade - http://www.cybercoma.com/supercade/This cabinet is very well done and gave me some pointers in chosing a monitor. Inovative with the duel layer design. Great site.

5) Mr. Salty - http://www.mrsalty.net/I used his website off and on. His modular design is the best one I've ever seen, and he gives in depth information for prospect builders(even a cost anaylsis- ouch!). I also seriously considered following his rotating monitor solution. I used his idea in powering the cabinet with a button wired to the comp's power. Wonderful website.

2) GSXRMovistar - http://www.runriot.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/arcade/The best standalone I've seen. The artwork is freak'n awesome...I want to copycat it someday His website is fairly new, and I didn't see it until after my cab construction, but looks great!

PS- I like the "top 5" in each category idea over a "top 10". Which ever way you go though, great idea in giving honor to these wonderful build your own arcade control masters!

You mean they get finished sometime? (I'm not sure I understand the word in this context???)

Me three! At least if I had a real monitor already, I could finish my bezel the way I want to, and my cab wouldn't change much visually after that. But I still need to add 5V LEDs to my illuminated PBs, paint the aluminum bar across my front door, block out the light leaking out the sides of my marquee, add a DOT spinner and/or knob, add DOT inserts on my Tron sticks, add artwork to my backsplash panels, and finish my 3rd CP with artwork/Lexan! A new CPU would be good too, so I can finally play Area51, Cruisn', KI, Primal Rage etc...

Plus, I have a couple super-secret projects coming up that will keep my cab in WIP status for some time to come!